Back to Zero
by henohenomoheji
Summary: Five years after his betrayal of Konoha, Sasuke is forcibly brought back to the village. As a safety precaution, the village takes away the one thing that tied him to his past: his memories. NaruSasu


Labored breathing cut through the silence of the training grounds at dawn

**Disclaimer: My name is Masashi Kishimoto, and I own Naruto. (NOT)**

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**Author's Note:**

**This is a lot more serious than my Itasasu fic, ****_which I will finish_****, though, looking at what I've written for the first few chapters, it's not by a lot. I may do some editing later on.**

**I just had to right this fic because the idea suddenly popped into my head during dinner yesterday and refused to leave. **

**I sincerely hope that everyone will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed fantasizing about it. (Which was a lot.)**

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**_Tsuki (Moon)_**__

Deta deta tsuki ga  
Marui marui manmarui  
bon no you na tsuki ga

Kakureta kumo ni,  
kuroi kuroi makkuroi,  
sumi no you na kumo ni.

Mata deta tsuki ga,  
marui marui manmarui,  
bon no you na tsuki ga.

--

Labored breathing cut through the silence of the training grounds at dawn. Shuriken, kunai, and fallen trees littered the ground, forming a circle of destruction. In the center of it all stood a blonde haired boy, blue eyes half-shut and body stooped with fatigue.

Wiping dirt off of his face with the back of his hand, he straightened once more, hand outstretched. _Once more_.

--

Anbu captain Hatake Kakashi readjusted his mask, staring upwards at the ominous grey sky. Before him, his team of twelve stood at attention, all eyes locked on him through their masks.

"We have almost arrived at Rock Country. The sooner we deliver Hokage-sama's package, the sooner we can return."

The first drops of rain landed heavily through the canopy of trees.

"Move out."

He made sure twelve blurs of grey had scattered before he himself set out ahead.

--

"_Mou_, Naruto." Worried green eyes scanned the bruises marring the tanned body through a curtain of baby pink hair. "You don't have to push yourself so hard."

"I know," The blond hissed as alcohol was dabbed over his cuts. "But I won't be able to bring_ him_ back the way I am now."

The only reply he received was a sad, tired, smile.

--

Karin ran a hand happily through her thick red hair, shifting her other hand lazily through the fragranced water of the outdoor onsen. The lenses of her glasses began to fog, and she took them off to place carefully in her bucket of belongings, sitting on the bank of the springs.

Nearby, a group of young girls, probably genin on a break from missions were chattering together in a circle.

Beyond the fence in the adjacent men's bath, she could hear the annoying cacophony of stupid Suigetsu's voice answered by a melodious murmer that she had memorized as Sasuke's.

Karin blushed as her mind filled once more with thoughts of _her_ Sasuke-sama. She had been most displeased when she learned that the men's and women's baths at this onsen were separated.

Sasuke had consented to a night of rest in this small provincial village in Rock Country before continuing onwards after seeing the worn down condition of his team. Karin sighed contentedly and got comfortable; she might as well get clean before destroying Konoha.

--

Kakashi arrived at the gates encircling his destination. He stated his purpose, flashed some I.D., and the guardsmen waved him him, flanked by his team.

Some kind of festival seemed to be taking place. Kakashi was instantly on guard. His team was delivering a small fortune of pure gold, payment to the Rock country for the weapons sent over to Konoha two months ago.

Word of the travelling fortune had spread quickly, and the team had already had to fend of several instances of attempted robbery.

Walking through the streets, he and his team stuck out rather obviously from the brightly colored lanterns, vending booths, and kimono clad villagers. Children wearing masks and holding sticks of dango ran under his legs, laughing a waving around bags of koi. Young couples wearing decorated yukatas walked hand in hand through the streets, admiring little trinkets on sale and attempting the prizes at the game booths.

Still, despite the decorations and the festivities, the streets were rough and made from gravel, and everything in sight seemed to be hand-crafted.

Who knew that the kage of Rock country was staying at such a provincial village?

As the central building of the village came into view, Kakashi sped up his step, his team following wordlessly.

--

Karin wrapped her cotton yukata around herself, tying her obi loosely, to give Sasuke-kun a better view of her cleavage, if he cared to look. Outside, the annual summer festival seemed to be starting, and she hurriedly pulled a brush through her hair, not wanting to miss the fireworks with Sasuke-kun.

--

Kakashi's team was met by two ninja, both wearing forehead protectors inscribed with rocks.

The one on the left stretched out his hand.

"I'll relieve you of that."

Kakashi took a step back, fingering his weapons pouch. Behind him, Shizune took a step forward. "Identification?"

"Kuchiyose Tanosuke." The ninja stated his name, which Kakashi recognized immediately from his mission guideline report, then pointed up to his forehead protector. "Is this good enough? "

--

Sasuke stood with his back against the window of his hotel room, ignoring the expanse of hot springs below, pulling on his Akatsuki cloak. The same black and red had once adorned his brother. Sasuke's gut clenched at the thought, a mixture of remorse, grief, and love left a sick aftertaste in his mouth. Sasuke's grip on the edges of his cloak tightened. It was insanity, the way his feelings toward his brother had changed so abrubtly, right after the death of the latter.

Onii-san couldn't be brought back, but he would surely be avenged. Konoha would burn to the ground. He was, after all, an avenger.

--

Kakashi hummed to himself as he strolled down the hall of the hotel towards the onsen.

He had somehow persuaded the team to stay for another day at the outdoor springs along the border of the village.

After a week of travelling, he had promised himself that he wasn't going to leave without a good, long, soak in the springs. Plus, he had heard that the wall separating the men and women's divisions was quite flimsy, when looked upon with a _ninja's_ standards, and peepholes could easily be cut through with a good(and subtle) usage of one-fingered Chidori.

--

Naruto walked down the corridor towards the Hokage's office, footsteps echoing down the hall. He rubbed absentmindedly at the bandages wrapped tightly around his hands, and stopped directly in front of the large oak door to Tsunade's office.

He entered without knocking.

--

A loud whistling sound filled the air, and Karin looked up in surprise. A burst of color in the sky and the smell of gunpowder confirmed her suspicions. _The fireworks had started!_

Karin pulled on her cloak and dashed down the hallway towards Sasuke's room, brushing past a black haired woman who seemed to tense visibly when their shoulders had touched.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin called, banging her fist against the door in urgency. "The fireworks have started! Don't you want to--"

The door was suddenly yanked open, and Karin shrieked (in both delight and surprise) as she was jerked inside.

--

Sasuke had just sent the two men in his team ahead to the second checkpoint village, and was about to go find Karin when a flash of grey outside his window prompted him to turn around and glance outside.

The sight instantly made his blood run cold: Hatake Kakashi in the flesh was strolling along the edge of the onsen. Sasuke recognized him immediately, the facial mask, the forehead protector, the stupid little book he always carried around. The only thing new was the anbu attire that his former teacher was dressed in.

An insistent banging on accompanied by Karin's voice interrupted his observations.

"Sasuke-kun!"

His eyes widened in the darkness of his room. Anbu never travelled alone. What if someone heard? Without thinking, he pulled open the door and pulled his new teammate in by the arm.

--

Karin's eyes widened as Sasuke clamped a hand firmly over her mouth. "Quiet, Karin."

She nodded, and was disappointed when he let go.

"Konoha is here."

Karin's mouth dropped open. "There's so many ninja here, I couldn't tell--"

"It's fine." Sasuke gave her look that said it was anything but. "We move out now."

"Suigetsu and Juugo--"

"I've already sent them on ahead."

The outlines of the two blurred before vanishing completely.

--

Kakashi felt a jolt of chakra from the building to his left, though it was gone almost as quickly as it had come. It was unsettling, Kakashi couldn't place why, but the familiarity stayed with him.

A little boy with eyes and a mind too mature for his body, soulless eyes narrowed in concentration, training grounds ruined by the destructive power of Chidori—

_Sasuke_.

--

Sasuke pushed past the crowds of people, followed closely by Karin. He couldn't use his chakra at such a close range to Kakashi, he had already risked being recognized with his teleportation jutsu.

The villagers around him were too busy watching the fireworks in the sky to notice his cloak, and for this Sasuke was glad, as it stood out awkwardly from the summer colored yukata's all around. Behind him, Karin's face was pale, and she was struggling to keep up.

Sasuke was in a foul mood, and it showed as he quickened his pace.

--

"Arigatou." Shizune paid the shop keeper and picked up her stick of dango. Taking a bite, she looked up at the fireworks decorating the sky. Rapid movement among the still moonwatchers caught her attention.

Red clouds on black danced across her vision, and her eyes widened. _Akatsuki._

Her first thought was to inform Kakashi, but he was already there, standing behind her with the rest of her team.

He raised a hand in his customary greeting, but she could tell that he was far from light-hearted. Both of his eyes were visible, one red, one black, glowing in the near-darkness.

--

**Author's Note**:

About the song "moon" that I have posted at the beginning of this fanfic, it's a popular children's song for the yearly Otsukimi. (Moon watching festival)

I'll be posting one per chapter…for no reason other than that I want to.

Oh, and onsen means hot springs. Sasuke and co. are at the hot springs. Lol. And so is Kakashi's team.

Review so I can update faster.


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